The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-12-03
Having Her Own Way.


"But don't want to be rich !" salt
Violet Howard. "I'm quite as ricl
as / need to be already. What do
gain by another fifty thousand dol
lars p
Old Herodotus Howard stared at hi
saucy granddaughter as if she had pro
pounded piece of rank heresy-as in
deed it was in his system of every day
theology.
"Violet, you are fool" said he
harshly. "And it's lucky for you tha
you have grandfather who can lool
after your interests better than yor
seem to be able to do yourself. Mr.,
Ericsson is to be here tomorrow after.
noon, and you will please''-with an
ironical emphasis on the word" "receive
him as your future husband"
Violet opened wide her saucy brown
eyes.
"And what is to become of Oliver
Belton ?" she asked, demurely.
"Oliver Belton is nothing to me !''
stormed her grandfather. "Neither
you nor he thought proper to consult
me before you wound up boy and girl
love affair with a boy and girl engage
ment and I might long ago have told
you that Mr.. Ericsson had honered you
by proposal /! AS it is, you must take
the consequences of your own folly?"
And Mr.. Howard strolled off down the
garden path, to look at his buds of tulips
and jonquils.
Violet's eyes followed her grandfath-
er, with mischievous sparkle in their
hazel depths.
"Now, 1 WONDER" she thought to
herself, "if grandpapa really thinks
am going to tie myself for life to that
old fossil Caleb Ericsson ! To carry
his slippers, pour out his tea, listen to
asI assIt teSiRsfs 1afer baafhing, for~no6ody can
guess how many years Not if l know
myself to be really and truly Violet
Howard /! But then, I've got to be
very cautious, for / know grandpapa
owes him great deal of money, and
poor grahdpapa has been very kind to
me, even though he don't quite under
stand how Oliver and I feel toward each
other"
Violet sat down on the farmhouse
step, her cheek resting on one hand and
pondered deeply.
What pretty little cabinet picture
she would have made in the cool after
noon sunshine, with their apple bios.
SONS showering their tiny pink shells
all around her on the grass and the
downy, yellow chickens peeping around
her for morsel of meal or bit of crum-
bled bread. She was plump and round
and chubby herself, like the chickens,
and pink, like the apple blooms, and
passing fair to look upon. Whoever
Oliver Bolton might have been he was
taste e=..------l'------------.l of mad
Presently Violet rose up again and
went into the house, only stopping to
gather cluster of cinnamon roses to
pin into her golden-brown hair as she
went.
"Dorcas !" said she, putting her face
into the kitchen, where the staid maid
servant was chopping suet for an unctiouS
pudding.
Dorcas looked up, even her hard
countenance softening at the radiant
apparition of youth and beauty in her
homely kitchen world.
"Well, Miss Vi'let p
"We shall commence to clean house
tomorrow"
"To clean house, Miss Vi'let and
company coming ?"
VIolet'S brows contracted.
"Company ought to make no differ
ence at regular institution like this,
Dorcas." :"
"But it's full fortnight earlier than
ever we commenced afore," remonstra-
ted Dorcas.
81 can't help that" said Violet brisk
ly. "I can't have the spring cleaning
dragging half through the year."
"There's something in that" said
Dorcas, refectively. "But what will
master say?"
"He needn't know it, Dorcas, until
we've got the carpets all up and the
floors all deluged with soap-suds.-
And then you see, Dorcas," and the
brown eyes shone mischievously, che
can't help himself" ;"
"Dorcas smiled grimly. Dorcas
White never had lover or love affair
in all the six and fifty years of her soli-
tary life, but she had a woman's instinct
living dormant within her heart, and
she evidently eomprehended the whole
affair.
every well, Miss Vi'let," she said.
And Violet went singing off to skim
the cream for tea.
Mr.. Ericsson came in the next even
ing's stage, complacently looking for
ward to country air. country - -.
country delicacies, after his long dusty
Journey. He was portly, well-preserv-
ed old gentleman with bald head. a
dved mustache and a set of expensive
false teeth, who considered that' as
money had bought pretty much every
thing else in the world for him, i
might wind up matters by purchasing
pretty .eighteen-year- wiie IN 'n'
personality of Violet Howard
Mr.. Howard had gone to the neares
village that day on some Legal Duslnes
and only contrived to meet ms eAPee'
ed visitor at the garden gate.
"Delighted to see you, In sure,
ea;d Mr.. Howard, taking OF his mig